Bell Cab Cooperative

Over opposition from other cab drivers, the Los Angeles City Council gave its approval Tuesday for a new taxi firm--Bell Cab Cooperative--to begin picking up riders in the city. Bell, which will be owned by its drivers, was given the right to put 80 cabs on the street in a wide area from east of downtown Los Angeles to the ocean. It includes the lucrative downtown business district and most fancy Westside hotels. Bell will be barred, however, from serving Los Angeles International Airport.

The solution seemed simple enough: To address the problem of illegal "bandit" taxis, Los Angeles transportation officials decided in 1994 to allow Bell Cab Co. to absorb and legalize 250 of those cabs. It now looks like that was a wrong turn. Today, Bell Cab, the largest taxi firm in the city, is in bankruptcy proceedings and is racked by a nasty internal power struggle that has pitted the former bandit cabbies against a management firm supported by most of the company's original drivers.

A proposal to put more taxicabs on Central Los Angeles and Westside streets won key support Monday when City Councilman Michael Woo dropped his opposition and said he wants city regulators to study the plan. After Woo's announcement, the council's Traffic and Transportation Committee voted to have the city transportation commissioner study giving Bell Cab Cooperative permission to have 80 cabs, 15 fewer than the number Bell requested.

To the chagrin of ethics watchdogs, Los Angeles city officials twice this week have softened the blow of fines levied against firms for laundering campaign money to City Hall politicians. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Transportation Commission voted 6-0 to permit Bell Cab Cooperative to expand its operations by absorbing 250 "bandit cabs" into its fleet--only months after Bell agreed to pay $85,000 in fines for disguising the source of campaign contributions.

To the chagrin of ethics watchdogs, Los Angeles city officials twice this week have softened the blow of fines levied against firms for laundering campaign money to City Hall politicians. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Transportation Commission voted 6-0 to permit Bell Cab Cooperative to expand its operations by absorbing 250 "bandit cabs" into its fleet--only months after Bell agreed to pay $85,000 in fines for disguising the source of campaign contributions.

As a fight heats up over putting more cabs on Los Angeles' streets, a new city report charges that taxi service in a wide area is "below city standards" and is "unacceptable" in neighborhoods ranging from affluent Pacific Palisades to working class El Sereno and Highland Park.

A Los Angeles cab company has agreed to pay a $40,000 fine for making improper campaign contributions totaling $10,500 to City Council members and candidates in 1990 and 1991, according to documents released Tuesday. Bell Cab Co., which operates across large areas of central and western Los Angeles, admitted 54 counts of campaign money laundering and violating political contribution limits as part of a proposed legal settlement with city ethics officials.

The Bell Cab Co., which recently agreed to pay a $40,000 fine to settle charges of campaign money laundering, received approval Thursday to absorb 250 illegal "bandit" cabs, a move that will make it the largest operating taxi firm in Los Angeles. The city Transportation Commission voted unanimously to allow Bell Cab to more than triple its 100-car operation by taking in drivers from the Union de Taxistas Independientes, a group of unlicensed Latino cabbies.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission accused a Los Angeles taxi company Thursday of laundering $17,000 in campaign contributions to nine Los Angeles City Council candidates in 1990 and 1991. A 35-count accusation filed by the FPPC alleges that Bell Cab Co. made the contributions through employees and others without disclosing that the money came from the company.

Pressing ahead with its first major enforcement case, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Thursday accused a city cab company of 56 counts of campaign money laundering and violating political contribution limits. Bell Cab Co., which operates across large areas of central and western Los Angeles, is accused of arranging more than 20 improper contributions totaling $11,000 to City Council members and council candidates in 1990 and 1991.

The Bell Cab Co., which recently agreed to pay a $40,000 fine to settle charges of campaign money laundering, received approval Thursday to absorb 250 illegal "bandit" cabs, a move that will make it the largest operating taxi firm in Los Angeles. The city Transportation Commission voted unanimously to allow Bell Cab to more than triple its 100-car operation by taking in drivers from the Union de Taxistas Independientes, a group of unlicensed Latino cabbies.

A Los Angeles cab company has agreed to pay a $40,000 fine for making improper campaign contributions totaling $10,500 to City Council members and candidates in 1990 and 1991, according to documents released Tuesday. Bell Cab Co., which operates across large areas of central and western Los Angeles, admitted 54 counts of campaign money laundering and violating political contribution limits as part of a proposed legal settlement with city ethics officials.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission accused a Los Angeles taxi company Thursday of laundering $17,000 in campaign contributions to nine Los Angeles City Council candidates in 1990 and 1991. A 35-count accusation filed by the FPPC alleges that Bell Cab Co. made the contributions through employees and others without disclosing that the money came from the company.

The ousted president of a Los Angeles cab company accused of funneling illegal campaign contributions to local politicians has alleged in court papers that former Councilman Arthur K. Snyder and a legal associate were involved in the scheme. Vadim Berenson, president of Bell Cab Co.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office Monday filed a civil lawsuit against Bell Cab Co. to push up to half its cabs off the road, targeting for the first time firms and individuals who purchase fraudulent smog certificates rather than those who sell them. The estimated 50 Bell taxis the city wants scrapped or fixed are so-called gross-polluting vehicles, among the 10% of California cars that cause up to 60% of the state's smog.

Pressing ahead with its first major enforcement case, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Thursday accused a city cab company of 56 counts of campaign money laundering and violating political contribution limits. Bell Cab Co., which operates across large areas of central and western Los Angeles, is accused of arranging more than 20 improper contributions totaling $11,000 to City Council members and council candidates in 1990 and 1991.

The solution seemed simple enough: To address the problem of illegal "bandit" taxis, Los Angeles transportation officials decided in 1994 to allow Bell Cab Co. to absorb and legalize 250 of those cabs. It now looks like that was a wrong turn. Today, Bell Cab, the largest taxi firm in the city, is in bankruptcy proceedings and is racked by a nasty internal power struggle that has pitted the former bandit cabbies against a management firm supported by most of the company's original drivers.

The Los Angeles Board of Transportation Commissioners on Thursday approved a modified version of a request by a taxi company to offer discounts to U.S. troops returning from the Persian Gulf War. The board unanimously approved a provision to allow Bell Cab Co-Op and other cab companies in the city to give military personnel a 50% discount on fares up to $20 for a period of six months. The program must be approved by the City Council before it can go into effect.

The Los Angeles Board of Transportation Commissioners on Thursday approved a modified version of a request by a taxi company to offer discounts to U.S. troops returning from the Persian Gulf War. The board unanimously approved a provision to allow Bell Cab Co-Op and other cab companies in the city to give military personnel a 50% discount on fares up to $20 for a period of six months. The program must be approved by the City Council before it can go into effect.

Over opposition from other cab drivers, the Los Angeles City Council gave its approval Tuesday for a new taxi firm--Bell Cab Cooperative--to begin picking up riders in the city. Bell, which will be owned by its drivers, was given the right to put 80 cabs on the street in a wide area from east of downtown Los Angeles to the ocean. It includes the lucrative downtown business district and most fancy Westside hotels. Bell will be barred, however, from serving Los Angeles International Airport.